I am so afraid that people are going to judge this book by the cover and miss out on a great read. I should have known that, while the marketing for the book has been pretty light-hearted, that I'd get a Mazey Eddings' book full of humor, depth, and longing. Come for the slutty little glasses, stay to get gutted by your own feelings of being unlovable.

The book follows (from a single POV) Eva, a languishing journalist stuck doing interviews with C-list stars while eating hot dogs (this sounds weird, but if you are familiar with Chicken Shop Date, you'll get the vibe). Drunk after a particularly depressing day of recording, she sees her college situationship, Rylie, sharing dating and love advice online and decides to drag him for filth in his stitches, sharing her very disappointing experience with him to her meager followers. Unsurprisingly, the video goes viral, and her bosses seek to capitalize on the momentum by having the two record a series of videos and podcasts as Rylie tries to make it up to Eva in a series of dates. It's clear from the start that the chemistry is sizzling.

The two reconnecting gives each of them to share the emotional reality of their situations. Rylie was grieving and dealing with being in the closet (he is bisexual). Eva was (and is) still grappling with the feeling that she's expendable (she's the middle child in a blended family of overachievers). If you are someone that struggles with believing you are worthy of love, this book will absolutely gut you in places.

"I'm not sure I even like myself half the time, how could I expect someone else to like me enough to stick around?"

Rylie is persistently and consistently there for her, even when she fights him, even when she's mean, even when she tries to run. And, just to be clear, he has been loooooonnnnnngggginng for her for the past six years. There is some serious yearning in this book and I'm very glad it is told as a single POV, I like being able to only catch glimpses of Rylie's actions, ones that are pretty transparent to the reader, but are impossible for Eva to believe are sincere.

While the book is certainly emotional, it also is full of plenty of humorous scenes that temper the harder parts. I love a mean FMC (see Stephanie Archer's The Fake Out for another great example) and Eva is a great one. The banter is top tier.

"I just didn't know you could read," I reply sweetly. "Lea Michele is shaking."

I suspect that a lot of negative reviews of this book will go after the FMC. She is mean at times, but if you connect with her own background, you'll see why she lashes out and puts up walls. Women are allowed to be difficult and unlikable as long as the author does a good job of showing their motivations for the behavior, and Eddings does!

* Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review! *

This is the most enjoyable black cat/golden retriever relationship I have read in a long time – perhaps ever. The characters are really well-drawn and complement one another so nicely. As we get to know Eva, understanding her blunts her sharp edges. Rylie Cooper, by contrast, is all smiles and so beautifully good-natured that Eva’s barbs don’t sting. Instead, her snark, and his gentle teasing and self-promotion in response are smooth volleys, and pure entertainment. They have strong chemistry and the crazy banter make these two an absolutely adorable couple. Their relationship progresses nicely along a story that tackles some serious topics [among them misogyny, biphobia, toxic workplace], and does some pleasant tinkering with the formula [of a typical rom-com].
It’s a quick and fun read that will invoke many smiles and laughter. The inevitable comparisons of this novel to ‘Chicken Shop Date’ don’t make me mad, as I totally see it and I am a fan of both.

Really really enjoyed this book! It was funny (actually laughed out loud) while also tackling serious real life topics. We need more strong woman/soft man dynamics in books.

This was a fun quick read. Eva Kitt is a C list celebrity, who does a show called Sausage talk, where she interviews B list celebrities while flirting and eating hot dogs. What she really wants is to be a journalist, but she is also desperately trying to pay her NYC rent. She is furious to see the success of the boy who broke her heart in college Riley Cooper, so she drunkenly decides to blast him on the internet one night. Cue her horror when it goes viral, and her boss decides to capitalize on it by bringing him on her show and having them go on some redemption dates. I enjoyed Eva and Riley’s banter and character growth. I loved the chemistry between the two and the redemption/second chance arc. I hated the workplace bullying/gas lighting and how long Eva and Aida let that go on, and how Aida handled it. A fun short read that included some very serious topics with care. I received an ARC, and this is my honest review.

This is my first book by Mazey Eddings and it was a fun ride. This fluffy rom-com was an absolute treat, blending awkward college beginnings with heartwarming growth and chemistry. From cringe-worthy moments to adorable confessions, it had me alternately squirming and swooning. This second chance romance was worth the time.

Eva was an interesting FMC. I did not like her for the first half of the book. Her drunken rant and poor decision making skills made her hard to connect to. She was rude and never took accountability for her actions. But as she started to open up to Cooper, layers peeled away and I found myself warming to her, just as he did.

Cooper on the other hand was a delight. Emotionally supportive, redemption arc, hot as sin, and determined to win Eva over. He is everything a leading man should be in a romantic role. I was cheering for him every step of the way. Who else was picturing Jonathan Bailey with his cute little glasses getting pushed up his nose here? Just me?

The side characters, though? Most felt a bit too much like boxes on a checklist: the gay best friend? Check. The classic college bitchy friend? Check. But the lady from the train was a standout—her wisdom and wit left me wanting more. I wish she’d played a bigger role in helping Eva find her way.

Overall, this was a charming romance that grew on me as much as Eva grew on Cooper.

It took me a bit to warm up to Eva, with her strong black cat personality but all the bite masks a vulnerable woman who's never felt like she was enough to be loved for who she was, making her DEEPLY relatable. When a video she posts lambasting her semi-famous podcaster ex, Riley, goes viral, her boss practically forces her to capitalize on her ten minutes of fame for clicks to drive traffic to the online site she works for.

What follows is a fun, emotional, second chance romance that has Eva and Riley going on six dates and rehashing them on his podcast but things get messy when the two give in to the very real chemistry that still lingers between them. I loved that Riley wouldn't let Eva run away from her feelings!! One of their dates even involves seeing a therapist together and unpacking the unresolved feelings from their breakup when Riley ghosted her in college.

This was also full of spicy open door scenes, had two fully dimensional queer MCs (Eva's pan, Riley's bi), included a fun cameo where Eva does an interview with Lizzie from a past book and saw Eva standing up for herself against workplace bullying and harassment. Highly recommended for fans of books like Truly madly deeply by Alexandra Bellefleur. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

I was looking forward to this one so much because of the cute cover and premise but I could tell almost from page one this wasn't going to be for me. I found Eva almost instantly unlikable and I can't get past the writing style here. It feels like a messy stream of consciousness and a bit all over the place. Just not enough substance here and it wasn't my cup of tea.

This book felt like something I could totally see playing out on TikTok in real life! Eva is a witty, smart-mouthed FMC that stands on business. I loved that her show was called Sausage Talk. Rylie was total golden retriever vibes and gets Eva to agree to a series of dates to show that he is not the playboy that she thinks he is. Watching Eva realized that Rylie isn't exactly how she remembered was the ultimate slow burn. Their chemistry is sizzling and banter is so funny. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the gifted eARC. All opinions are my own.

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Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an E-Arc of this book!
First of all, the cover is stunning. Eva and Rylie were very entertaining and so cute. The banter was great, the couple had chemistry, and the pacing was perfect. Overall, it was a great read!

Well, Actually is messy, heartfelt, and unexpectedly charming. It's a sharp-tongued second-chance romance with plenty of bite, warmth, and banter.

Eva’s voice grabbed me from the very first line. She’s prickly, defensive, and laugh-out-loud funny, with a tough shell that makes perfect sense once you understand her upbringing and complicated relationship with vulnerability. I appreciated that her guardedness wasn’t softened to make her more likable. She was complex, often confrontational, and refreshingly self-aware.

This is a true black cat and golden retriever pairing. Rylie is sweet, earnest, and clearly trying to make things right, even if Eva isn’t always ready to hear him out. I liked how his story was revealed through her eyes. We don’t get his POV, but I didn’t feel like anything was missing. His early behavior was more layered than it first seemed, and I liked how the story handled that without letting him off the hook.

That said, some moments felt awkward. A few jokes didn’t quite land and the banter sometimes gave me secondhand embarrassment. The social media premise was clever but didn’t fully connect for me. It’s very rooted in the current online landscape, which might limit its staying power. Still, I believed in their emotional arc, and their connection felt real. I could practically feel that first hug right alongside Eva.

I loved the LGBTQIA+ rep and the commentary on toxic work environments, though I wish that thread had gone a little deeper.

This was my first book by Mazey Eddings, and I’ll definitely be reading more.

i already want to go back and reread this babe!!!

I love seeing clips of Chicken Shop Date on TikTok (I'm afraid to watch the full episodes simply because I cannot stand mouth noises when eating lmao), and I am a HUGE fan of Mazey's (PA girlies gotta stick together), so I knew I was going to love this book!

I loved that Eva wasn't a sunshine and rainbows, I loved her dry sense of humor and wit, I loved how she went about engaging with Rylie for her show, his podcast, and offline. Don't get me wrong, I love when the sunshine in a grumpy/sunshine relationship is the female main character, but I LOVED how Eva was the "grumpy" side of things, I loved how realistic she was! I think some times I can see myself in how Eva acted when confrontation came up, and I loved getting to see that side of myself portrayed in a romcom!

And Rylie. I loved how go-with-the-flow Rylie was. I loved how he played off of Eva's attitude on-mic, but how he never let her talk down about herself or throw herself too much of a pity party off-mic. He was the perfect puzzle piece to what Eva was missing. I also loved getting to see glimpses of what he was like prior, back when he and Eva had their college fling, and how he's matured since then into the man he was in the book.

I also think the side characters were realistic, especially Aida. I work in a field where sometimes you have to be cut throat and not your friend's friend to get things done, and I think Mazey portrayed Aida and her personality and vibes well.

All in all, this book had me giggling kicking my feet at moments, laughing out loud at others, crying in my bed at some other points. It contains multitudes, and I need everyone to read this book when it hit shelves next month!!!!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the digital arc in exchange for an honest review!

I support women being mean to men!!!!!

4.5? I didn’t believe I could ever be won over by a second-chance romance, but this book proved me so wrong. I absolutely inhaled it. I literally couldn’t put it down and feel empty inside now that it’s over. This was wonderful, adorable, hysterically funny and yet still so tender and romantic. I haven’t laughed this hard at a romcom since Book Lovers. I am OBSESSED with these characters - they’re giving literal soulmates. I was grinning like an idiot reading their interactions, and (… also like Book Lovers, actually) it was such a relief when the third act conflict was purely external and not some irritating breakup or miscommunication.

My only complaints knocking this down from a perfect 5 star: first of all, I love how pro-therapy this book is, but it got a little toooo therapy-speak sometimes as the characters navigated and explained their feelings to each other. I definitely said “no one talks like this” on multiple occasions.

Second: I can’t abide the nickname “kitten,” even if it’s a joke because of her name.

Third - and I’m truly not sure I can call this a con, because it’s kind of the point - Rylie and Eva’s constant need to banter and rib each other got a little annoying by the end, especially with some jabs that were just juvenile and not funny. HOWEVER. Their mutual annoyingness honestly feeds the soulmatism. Like, okay, I’m sick of you guys actually, but I’m glad you both have each other to laugh at these corny jokes 🙄🫶

Also, both MCs are queer! The book does a surprisingly lovely job tackling internalized homophobia and rectifying harm done, even when it was unintentional.

What I loved about this one was the banter and the wit. There are lines throughout that are just so wonderfully done that just added a layer of goodness to this one. This is the story of Eva and Rylie. They connected back in their college days, and it didn't go well. Now years later, they've found their way, Eva in the world of podcasting, and Rylie is a social media personality. When Eva makes a public post about Rylie, they reconnect via their jobs, agree to go on some dates, and things go from there. This was a fun read (with some heavy stuff, too) that I enjoyed. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the look at this August 2025 read.

Well, Actually is one of the most fun second chance romances I have read in a while. It had fantastic banter, great character growth and wonderful side characters.

Rylie Cooper is one of the very few former f*ckboy MMCs I've read about to really show significant enough character growth for me to feel like their second chance was truly deserved. He was horrible when he and Eva were together and college but he completely changed for the better.

And Eva. God, I loved her. She's so prickly and walled off because she's been hurt so many times by people that were supposed to love her unconditionally. 😢 I related so hard to her experiences with a toxic work environment.

They are forced back into each other's orbit after Eva stitches a video blasting Cooper's new feminist persona, claiming he's a fake because he was so horrid to her 6 years ago. To her mortification it goes viral and her bosses want her to interview him on her segment. This leads to Rylie asking her to let him have a chance at do-over dates to prove he's changed.

Eva's bosses pressure her into it because they know the segments will be a cash cow for them. But even though their first make-up date is an unmitigated and unquestionable disaster, Eva finds herself softening towards Rylie.

Definitely read Well, Actually if you love:
Black cat x golden retriever
Reformed f*ckboys
Bi x Pan rep
Slutty little glasses

I kind of loved that this was a book version of 'Chicken Shop Date' with a twist.

I thought this book was a fun and interesting take on a second chance romance. I thought Eva as a badass black cat FMC who takes zero prisoners and has incredible wit, and we love a golden retriever man in Cooper. Right person, wrong time is totally legit. It is completely plausible for people to meet when young and not work out, only to try again years later and make it work. I really enjoyed how the story unfolded for us readers to learn throughout the book why they both are the way they are now. I also loved all the queer representation in this book.

I wish Eva has more confidence, and tried to get herself some help over how much Cooper hurt her, instead of just dwelling on it for years, causing her to explode on social media when drunk. But at the same time, grief is any form is hard to deal with so I do also get it. I also wish Ava was a better friend and more on Eva's side throughout the whole thing, instead of being solely concerned about their jobs.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy of this book. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

3.5 Stars Rounded up.

5 Stars

Mazey always crafts incredible stories full of heart and messy yet relatable characters. Well, Actually is just as amazing as her previous books, and might be my new favorite.

Eva Kitt is like IRL Amelia with chicken Shops Date but make it hot dogs not chicken, and no one takes her as serious as we do Amelia. So when she sees her college ex who gave her a crappy one night and ghosted her gaining a platform for his podcast, she takes to the internet to rip him a new one.

Rylie, said ex, knows an opportunity when he sees one, and while Eva thinks he is in a newfound collab between their platforms for gain, he really sees it as an opportunity to prove her wrong and win her back.

We get to see the epitome of “if he wants to he will” as Eva and her walls keep pushing him away. Her love language is being a prickly pear and he lets her and gosh we all deserve the love of someone like Riley because we are all the imperfectly perfect Eva’s of the world.

I found myself highlighting so many parts of the book because they truly resonated with me and the lol moments provided so much levity. I cannot recommend this book and Mazey’s other novels enough! GRAB THIS ONE ASAP!

4.5 stars. Absolutely delightful and the vibes are 100% as advertised (hard to find these days). The relationship, once started, was very soft and sweet, though the banter remained fire. My only complaint is that the ending felt a little rushed — I was having a great time and wouldn’t have minded more Eva and Rylie 💜

Some fun quotes to entice…

He walks toward me with the confidence of a man who . . . Honestly, a metaphor is kind of superfluous. He walks forward with the confidence of a man.

“You think my glasses are slutty?” he says, smile huge and voice hopeful like I just gave him the most glowing compliment he could have wished for. “We both know your glasses are slutty,” I say, narrowing my eyes. “Men don’t pick tortoiseshell frames like that without being a little bit of a ho.”

Thank you to St. Martin’s and NetGalley for the ARC!!

I can honestly say I've never read a romance book with this particular setting - it was unique and for that I applaud Eddings.
I enjoyed this - it was fun, but I don't know maybe I am the wrong target audience? I just felt a little bored, but that could just be me!

Loved the angsty female lead but it ws almost too much. I missed the sweetness that romance books have. However I thought it was really original and loved the setting.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the eARC!

I really wanted to love this book, but it was just okay. It was hard for me to be in Eva's head because she so desperately wanted to project a hard*ss image that she was constantly at odds with even herself in her mind.
She's also completely and utterly rude to Rylie (who may or may not deserve it), and for some reason he likes it? Maybe because he knows the other side of her??
No one in this book was particularly likeable, which made it hard for me to get through.